DOCSLIB.ORG

Humanitarian Bulletin

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Humanitarian Bulletin Humanitarian Bulletin Syria Issue 34 | 10-23 September 2013 In this issue Issue 34 | 10-23 September 2013 Medical services need protection P.1 Calls for access to trapped civilians P.2 International community cannot forget crisis P.3 HIGHLIGHTS Crisis undermines progress towards MDGs P.3 Medical facilities, personnel Overview of the UN-coordinated response P.5 and wounded and sick must Humanitarian response only 45% funded P.9 be afforded special protection Photo: UNICEF/BHalabi Calls for access to civilians trapped in contested areas Momentum builds towards a Call for respect and protection of medical political solution to the conflict facilities and personnel Crisis undermines Syria’s The health situation continues to deteriorate across Syria progress towards MDGs Across Syria, the health situation continues to deteriorate with shortages of medicines, UN response plans remain the deliberate targeting of medical workers and health facilities by all parties, restrictions underfunded on the delivery of medical supplies to affected areas, and difficulties in accessing health care due to insecurity. FIGURES Of particular concern is the destruction of hospitals, assaults on medical professionals, Population 21.4 m and clinics, the impact of the conflict on pharmaceutical factories, as well as the challenge # of people in 6.8 m to import medicines to meet chronic medical needs, given economic sanctions. Medicines need needed include those for treatment of cancer, vaccines and medicines for chronic # of IDPs 4.25 m conditions. Additional ambulances are also needed. Some 60 per cent of public hospitals, 34 per cent of public health centres and 92 per cent of public ambulances have been # of Syrian 2.1 m refugees in affected. Around 212 health care staff have been killed, injured or kidnapped. In some neighboring locations, including Homs, 50 per cent of doctors have left the country. In and around countries & Aleppo city, only 36 doctors are practicing compared to 5,000 before the crisis. Around 70 North Africa per cent of pharmaceutical plants in the country have been impacted. Population 21.4 m There is also an increased risk of all infectious disease outbreaks due to disruptions in vaccination programmes, overcrowding in public shelters, decreasing availability of FUNDING support systems and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure increasing the risk of waterborne disease. In addition, an increase in number of human Brucellosis cases, $1.4 billion judged to be caused by a drop in rate of vaccination of animals that can transmit it to requested for humanitarian humans, is expected to continue. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, animal assistance inside Syria vaccination against brucellosis dropped from 99 percent in 2010 to 36 percent in 2012. In the first seven months of 2013, the UN and non-governmental health agencies in Syria 48% funded provided emergency medical supplies to treat more than two million people, however additional capacity is necessary to meet the rapidly rising scale and scope of need for basic medical services, as the number of people requiring medical assistance due to the $3 billion intensification of the conflict is rising exponentially. requested for the Regional Parties to the conflict are failing to meet their obligations, as the breakdown Refugee Response Plan of medical services disproportionately affects the most vulnerable On 13 September 2013, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria presented a paper which 43% funded highlighted the great risk deterioration of the conflict has placed on the rights of the most vulnerable. The trend indicates a disproportionate risk for people in contested areas as the number of public hospitals which have closed- 26 out of 32- are in the four Governorates facing the most fighting- namely Aleppo, Damascus, Deir-ez-Zor and Homs. Further, the breakdown of medical services disproportionately affects vulnerable segments of the population, such as children under the age of five, nursing mothers, the Country Humanitarian Bulletin | 2 disabled and the elderly. In the context of increasing challenges to access to healthcare for Syrians, women are particularly vulnerable. UNFPA’s partners and communities report Vulnerabilities are becoming that women do not have adequate information regarding when and where they can entrenched in those areas access reproductive health services, including emergency obstetric care (EmOC). Access and security challenges continue to constrain implementation of programmes to support where insecurity or women’s access to reproductive health in Syria. restrictions to access are Parties to the conflict in Syria are not meeting their obligations under international stalling deliveries of humanitarian law. Humanitarian actors report limited or no access to populations for assistance for protracted several months in areas that have been subject to sieges, as well as cuts in utilities, and periods of time. chemical weapons use. Under international humanitarian law, the parties to the conflict must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, as well as respect the right of all persons who are wounded or sick to receive medical attention with the least possible delay. Civilians remain trapped in hard to reach areas Vulnerabilities are becoming entrenched in those areas where insecurity or restrictions to access by various parties to the conflict are stalling deliveries of assistance for protracted periods of time. An estimated more than half a million people are in hard-to-access areas in Rural Damascus. In Al-Rhaiba, approximately, 40,000 people are completely sealed off, with gaps access to food, NFIs and hygiene materials. Around 10,000 people or 2,000 families remain trapped in the Old City of Homs while an estimated 300,000 people in northern parts of Rural Homs and around 35,000 people in Nubul and Zahra (North of Aleppo) have lived in besieged areas for several months. Although currently unconfirmed, reports of snipers targeting people moving through the Al-Mzaara crossing, the only access point for an estimated 400,000 civilians and internally displaced persons living in Al Wa’er neighborhood in Homs, will inhibit people’s freedom to move and seek assistance due to fear. For most of 2013, UNICEF and its partners have faced severe difficulties in reaching hundreds of thousands of children in Aleppo, rural areas of Dar’a, Deir-ez-Zor, major parts of Homs and Rural Damascus. Medical supplies, including vaccines, have been held up at checkpoints, and vital work on repairing water pipelines has been delayed. WFP reports significant challenges to deliver food assistance to Al-Hassakeh governorate and that no food rations for September have been dispatched to Aleppo, where the Government of Syria and armed groups are engaged in increasingly fierce fighting over key transit routes, such as the International and Khanaser roads. Over the past two weeks, humanitarian leaders have called on all parties to the conflict to agree on a pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian agencies immediate and unhindered access to evacuate the wounded and provide life-saving treatment and supplies in areas where fighting is ongoing. NGOs warn not to forget humanitarian crisis as winter approaches As UN General Assembly begins and side meetings focus on Syria political solutions, aid groups on 23 September urge member states to prioritize humanitarian aid for Syrians and host communities. The14 agencies, all members of the Syria International NGO “Can you imagine in the Forum (SIRF), urge heads of state meeting in New York for the United Nations General winter time, 4 or 5 million Assembly to urgently increase financial support to meet immediate and long-term needs people who have had their of Syrians. houses destroyed, who On 18 September, the President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), Dr. Abdul have no place to live, Rahman Attar, publicly urged the world not to forget the humanitarian plight of the millions of people affected by the crisis. “Winter is coming and the needs are extremely important living under a tree or in for these people,” said Dr. Attar. “Can you imagine in the winter time, 4 or 5 million people tents?” who have had their houses destroyed, who have no place to live, living under a tree or in tents?” he added, citing mattresses, blankets, kitchen kits and hygiene kits as priority needs. www.unocha.org/crisis/syria | www.unocha.org United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Coordination Saves Lives Country Humanitarian Bulletin | 3 Development progress Crisis undermines progress towards achieving cannot be achieved nor sustained amid armed Millennium Development Goals conflict, violence, In advance of the UN General Assembly General Debate on the ‘Post-2015 Development insecurity and injustice. Agenda’, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the focus the international community and UN member states must have to support people in countries affected by conflict, stating that development progress cannot be achieved nor sustained amid armed conflict, violence, insecurity and injustice. The Syrian Center for Policy Research’s (SCPR) March 2013 quarterly report “The Syrian Catastrophe”, produced in cooperation with UNRWA, estimates that Syria has moved backwards by 35 years in terms of the human development index, particularly in the income, education and health sectors. The impacts of the conflict and crisis on the population of Syria, a middle-income country which had taken strides forward towards achieving the MDGs, according to the Government of Syria’s 2010 report, are devastating as Syrians trying to cope with the loss of primary wage-earners, loss of their homes, loss of livelihoods and inconsistent access to education and basic services, including food, water and medical services. Limited access to basic food items creates additional needs “The Syrian Catastrophe” report estimates that more than half of Syria’s population is poor, with 6.7 million Syrians falling into poverty due to the crisis, and 3.6 million in extreme poverty.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Oral Update of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
    Distr.: General 18 March 2014 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-fifth session Agenda item 4 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Oral Update of the independent international commission of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic 1 I. Introduction 1. The harrowing violence in the Syrian Arab Republic has entered its fourth year, with no signs of abating. The lives of over one hundred thousand people have been extinguished. Thousands have been the victims of torture. The indiscriminate and disproportionate shelling and aerial bombardment of civilian-inhabited areas has intensified in the last six months, as has the use of suicide and car bombs. Civilians in besieged areas have been reduced to scavenging. In this conflict’s most recent low, people, including young children, have starved to death. 2. Save for the efforts of humanitarian agencies operating inside Syria and along its borders, the international community has done little but bear witness to the plight of those caught in the maelstrom. Syrians feel abandoned and hopeless. The overwhelming imperative is for the parties, influential states and the international community to work to ensure the protection of civilians. In particular, as set out in Security Council resolution 2139, parties must lift the sieges and allow unimpeded and safe humanitarian access. 3. Compassion does not and should not suffice. A negotiated political solution, which the commission has consistently held to be the only solution to this conflict, must be pursued with renewed vigour both by the parties and by influential states. Among victims, the need for accountability is deeply-rooted in the desire for peace.
    [Show full text]
  • The Potential for an Assad Statelet in Syria
    THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ASSAD STATELET IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ASSAD STATELET IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras policy focus 132 | december 2013 the washington institute for near east policy www.washingtoninstitute.org The opinions expressed in this Policy Focus are those of the author and not necessar- ily those of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, its Board of Trustees, or its Board of Advisors. MAPS Fig. 1 based on map designed by W.D. Langeraar of Michael Moran & Associates that incorporates data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP- WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC. Figs. 2, 3, and 4: detail from The Tourist Atlas of Syria, Syria Ministry of Tourism, Directorate of Tourist Relations, Damascus. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publica- tion may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. © 2013 by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20036 Cover: Digitally rendered montage incorporating an interior photo of the tomb of Hafez al-Assad and a partial view of the wheel tapestry found in the Sheikh Daher Shrine—a 500-year-old Alawite place of worship situated in an ancient grove of wild oak; both are situated in al-Qurdaha, Syria. Photographs by Andrew Tabler/TWI; design and montage by 1000colors.
    [Show full text]
  • Security Council Distr.: General 8 November 2012
    United Nations S/2012/550 Security Council Distr.: General 8 November 2012 Original: English Identical letters dated 13 July 2012 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council Upon instructions from my Government, and following my letters dated 16 to 20 and 23 to 25 April, 7, 11, 14 to 16, 18, 21, 24, 29 and 31 May, 1, 4, 6, 7, 11, 19, 20, 25, 27 and 28 June, and 2, 3, 9 and 11 July 2012, I have the honour to attach herewith a detailed list of violations of cessation of violence that were committed by armed groups in Syria on 9 July 2012 (see annex). It would be highly appreciated if the present letter and its annex could be circulated as a document of the Security Council. (Signed) Bashar Ja’afari Ambassador Permanent Representative 12-58099 (E) 271112 281112 *1258099* S/2012/550 Annex to the identical letters dated 13 July 2012 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council [Original: Arabic] Monday, 9 July 2012 Rif Dimashq governorate 1. At 2200 hours on it July 2012, an armed terrorist group abducted Chief Warrant Officer Rajab Ballul in Sahnaya and seized a Government vehicle, licence plate No. 734818. 2. At 0330 hours, an armed terrorist group opened fire on the law enforcement checkpoint of Shaykh Ali, wounding two officers. 3. At 0700 hours, an armed terrorist group detonated an explosive device as a law enforcement overnight bus was passing the Artuz Judaydat al-Fadl turn-off on the Damascus-Qunaytirah road, wounding three officers.
    [Show full text]
  • Al-Qamishli the Syrian Kurdish Rebellion
    Cities in Revolution Al-Qamishli The Syrian Kurdish Rebellion Researcher: Sabr Darwish Project leader: Mohammad Dibo Translator: Lilah Khoja Supported by Cities in Revolution حكاية ما انحكت SyriaUntold Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Chapter One: The Uprising 5 I. The First Steps of the Uprising .............................................................5 II. Committees and the Parties .................................................................8 III. Challenging the City’s Elders ................................................................9 IV. The Weekly Demonstrations ...............................................................11 V. The Popular Movement’s Setbacks .....................................................14 Chapter Two: Recovery of Civil Society Organizations 19 I. Birati: Fraternity Foundation for Human Rights ...................................19 II. Shar for Development .........................................................................20 III. Other organizations .............................................................................22 Chapter Three: Autonomy in Al-Qamishli 25 I. Introduction ........................................................................................25 II. Democratic Self-Rule Project ..............................................................27 III. Fledgling Democratic Institutions ........................................................28 IV. Self-Rule and the Lack of Democracy ................................................30 V. Silencing
    [Show full text]
  • EASTERN GHOUTA, SYRIA Amnesty International Is a Global Movement of More Than 7 Million People Who Campaign for a World Where Human Rights Are Enjoyed by All
    ‘LEFT TO DIE UNDER SIEGE’ WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN EASTERN GHOUTA, SYRIA Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2015 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW United Kingdom © Amnesty International 2015 Index: MDE 24/2079/2015 Original language: English Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cover photo: Residents search through rubble for survivors in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. Activists said the damage was the result of an air strike by forces loyal to President Bashar
    [Show full text]
  • Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal Progress Report
    syria regional crisis emergency appeal progress report for the reporting period 01 January – 30 June 2020 syria regional crisis emergency appeal progress report for the reporting period 01 January – 30 June 2020 © UNRWA 2020 The development of the 2020 Syria emergency appeal progress report was facilitated by the Department of Planning, UNRWA. About UNRWA UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of over 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. UNRWA communications division P.O. Box 19149, 91191 East Jerusalem t: Jerusalem (+972 2) 589 0224 f: Jerusalem (+972 2) 589 0274 t: Gaza (+972 8) 677 7533/7527 f: Gaza (+972 8) 677 7697 [email protected] www.unrwa.org Cover photo: UNRWA is implementing COVID-19 preventative measures in its schools across Syria to keep students, teachers and their communities safe while providing quality education. ©2020 UNRWA photo by Taghrid Mohammad. table of contents Acronyms and abbreviations 7 Executive summary 8 Funding summary: 2020 Syria emergency appeal progress report 10 Syria 11 Political,
    [Show full text]
  • Damascus & Rural Damascus, Syria: Nfi Response
    NFI Sector DAMASCUS & RURAL DAMASCUS, SYRIA: NFI RESPONSE Syria Hub Reporting Period: January 2017 CORE SUPPLEMENTARY ± ITEMS ITEMS TOTAL BENEFICIARIES ADEQUATELY SERVED Al-Hasakeh Aleppo Ar-Raqqa Deir Attiyeh 15,000 190,011 Homs PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED MORE THAN 4 CORE NFI PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED AT LEAST 1 SUPPLEMENTA- Idleb ITEMS (.75% OF THE 2.0M PEOPLE IN NEED IN RY ITEM WHICH INCLUDES SEASONAL ITEMS (10% Lattakia DAMASCUS AND RURAL DAMASCUS GOVERNORATES) OF THE 2.0M PEOPLE IN NEED IN DAMASCUS AND RURAL DAMASCUS GOVERNORATES) Hama Deir-ez-Zor TOTAL BENEFICIARIES PER SUB-DISTRICT Tartous An Nabk QATANA 7,500 DAMASCUSE 44,090 Yabroud GHIZLANIYYEH 7,500 KISWEH 28,500 DAMASCUS & RURAL-DAMASCUSHoms JARAMANA 23,750 Esal El-Ward QATANA 18,750 AT-TALL 17,500 Jirud GHIZLANIYYEH 15,417 AZ-ZABDANI 12,500 Damascus Rural Damascus Ma'loula SAHNAYA 11,250 Sarghaya DARIYA 10,000 Quneitra Rankus Raheiba DIMAS 8,255 Dar'a As-Sweida BENEFICIARIES REACHED BY TYPE OF SUPPORT Az-Zabdani Madaya Al Qutayfah ESTIMATE NUMBER OF PERSONS Sidnaya INSIDE DAMASCUS AND RURAL Breakdown of 2 million people 29K DAMASCUS GOVERNORATES WHO 174K in need of NFIs in Damascus RECEIVED IN-KIND ASSISTANCE FROM At Tall IN-KIND ASSISTANCE and Rural Damascus Ein Elfijeh REGULAR PROGRAMMES OF THE IN-KIND ASSISTANCE SECTOR in 2017 per sub-district Qudsiya ESTIMATE NUMBER OF PERSONS 6K 0 - 20,000 Dimas Duma 3K FROM HARD-TO-REACH AND LEBANON BESEIGED AREAS WHO RECEIVED Harasta INTER-AGENCY CONVOY IN-KIND ASSISTANCE THROUGH INTER-AGENCY CONVOY 20,001 - 60,000 INTER-AGENCY CONVOY Damascus Arbin 60,001 - 124,200 DamascusKafr Batna Rural Damascus 9K Jaramana Nashabiyeh 0 ESTIMATE NUMBER OF PERSONS 124,201 - 190,000 WHO RECEIVED CASH ASSISTANCE CASH SUPPORT FROM UNRWA CASH SUPPORT Qatana Markaz Darayya 190,001 - 701,000 Maliha NOTE: Breakdown of beneficiaries per type of support does not necessarily sum up to the reported number of beneficiaries as some communities may have received more than one type of assistance.
    [Show full text]
  • Emergency Appeal Final Report Syria: Floods
    Emergency Appeal Final Report Syria: Floods Emergency Appeal Operation n° MDRSY004 Date of issue: 08 April 2020 GLIDE n° FL-2019-000031-SYR Date of disaster: 31 March - 30 April 2019 Operation start date:12 April 2019 Operation end date:15 October 2019 Host National Society presence: Syrian Arab Red Operation budget: CHF 3,500,000 Crescent (SARC) Headquarters; Al-Hassakeh Branch (75 staff and 120 volunteers covering Al- DREF amount allocated: CHF 500,000 (12 April 2019) Hassakeh Governorate) Number of people affected: 235,000 Number of people assisted: Planned 45,000; actual 153,417 Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners involved in the operation: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), British Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Finnish Red Cross, German Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross. Other partner organizations involved in the operation: National government authorities, Al-Hassakeh Governorate and local authorities, and World Food Programme (WFP). The IFRC, on behalf of SARC, would like to thank the following for their generous contributions to this Appeal: Canadian Red Cross (from Canadian Government), Red Cross Society of China Hong Kong Branch, Finnish Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross (from Netherlands Government) and Swedish Red Cross. In addition, SARC would like to thank the following for their bilateral contributions: British Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, German Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross. Summary This Emergency Appeal was launched on 15 April 2019, seeking CHF 3.5 million to enable IFRC to support Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to provide assistance to 45,000 people affected by floods in Al-Hassakeh Governorate in northeast Syria, over a six-month period, mid-April to mid-October 2019.
    [Show full text]
  • Damascus Control Emboldens Assad Nationally | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 2665 Damascus Control Emboldens Assad Nationally by Fabrice Balanche Aug 2, 2016 Also available in Arabic ABOUT THE AUTHORS Fabrice Balanche Fabrice Balanche, an associate professor and research director at the University of Lyon 2, is an adjunct fellow at The Washington Institute. Brief Analysis Without a real military threat to the capital, neither the Syrian leader nor Iran will accept a political transition, even if Russia agrees to one. N ote: Click on maps to access high-resolution versions. The next round of Geneva peace negotiations for Syria is set to begin this month, but President Bashar al-Assad's recently tightened grip over Damascus already has the Syrian opposition in a tough spot. Indeed, focus on the battle of Aleppo, where regime forces have also advanced recently (see "Kurdish Forces Bolster Assad in Aleppo" ), has distracted attention from the Syrian army's slow but sure recapture of the rebel-held outskirts of the Syrian capital. Creating a Favorable Demographic Balance for the Regime S ince the 1970s, the Syrian army has had a considerable presence in the Damascus area, with large military bases occupying the south and west of the capital. Officially, this military posture has been intended to protect Damascus against Israel, given that the Golan front is some fifty kilometers away. The unofficial goal of this setup, designed by former president Hafiz al-Assad, was better control of Damascus. Bashar's father believed that whoever held Damascus held Syria. Part of the elder Assad's effort to control Damascus after seizing power in a coup in November 1970 was to station tens of thousands of troops, along with Alawite officials and their families, in the city.
    [Show full text]
  • Two-Week Conflict Summary | 11 – 24 November 2019
    TWO-WEEK CONFLICT SUMMARY | 11 – 24 NOVEMBER 2019 WHOLE OF SYRIA SUMMARY • NORTHWEST | The first advances of the Government of Syria (GoS) since August were reported in the southeastern parts of the Hayyat Tahrir ash Sham (HTS)-dominated northwest. Inside the enclave, widespread demonstrations took place against HTS and its civilian body, the Salvation Government. In Jarablus, the first suicide attack in over two years occurred on 19 November. • SOUTH & CENTRAL | There were prolonged clashes between GoS personnel and armed groups. Also, the first civilian protests against Hezbollah’s presence in southern Syria took place. Two waves of Israeli airstrikes targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander and Iranian- linked sites in and around Damascus. • NORTHEAST | Territorial changes occurred in the northeast as the Turkish-led Operation Peace Spring continued. Russia and Turkey deployed additional patrols in Raqqa and Hassakeh governorates. In the Euphrates and Khabour River Valleys, attacks against SDF personnel continued. Also, improvised explosive devices (IED) targeted three areas of Qamishli city. Figure 1: Dominant actors’ area of control and influence in Syria as of 21 November 2019. Please see the footnote on page 2 for further details. Page 1 of 7 TWO-WEEK CONFLICT SUMMARY 11 – 24 NOVEMBER 2019 NORTHWEST SYRIA1 GoS forces advanced in the Hayyat Tahrir al Sham (HTS)-dominated northwest during the reporting period. By 17 November, GoS had captured Tal Al Khaznah and Luwaybdah villages in the southeast of the enclave, before taking the National Liberation Front-controlled (NLF) Musheifra Shamaliyah, Um Al Khalil, and Ard al Zurzur villages by the end of the reporting period (Figure 2).
    [Show full text]
  • The PYD's Precarious Rise in Syria
    Flight of Icarus? The PYD’s Precarious Rise in Syria Middle East Report N°151 | 8 May 2014 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. An Opportunity Grasped .................................................................................................. 4 A. The PKK Returns to Syria .......................................................................................... 4 B. An Unspoken Alliance? .............................................................................................. 7 C. Brothers and Rivals .................................................................................................... 10 III. From Fighters to Rulers ................................................................................................... 12 A. The Rojava Project ..................................................................................................... 12 B. In Need of Protection ................................................................................................. 16 IV. Messy Geopolitics ............................................................................................................. 18 A. Turkey and
    [Show full text]
  • Syria: Internally Displaced Persons, Returnees and Internal Mobility — 3
    European Asylum Support Office Syria Internally displaced persons, returnees and internal mobility Country of Origin Information Report April 2020 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office Syria Internally displaced persons, returnees and internal mobility Country of Origin Information Report April 2020 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN: 978-92-9485-158-1 doi: 10.2847/460038 © European Asylum Support Office (EASO) 2020 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: © DFID - UK Department for International Development, Syrian women and girls in an informal tented settlement in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 3 February 2017, (CC BY 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/31874898573 EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN REPORT SYRIA: INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS, RETURNEES AND INTERNAL MOBILITY — 3 Acknowledgements EASO would like to acknowledge Sweden, Swedish Migration Agency, Country of Origin Information, Section for Information Analysis, as the drafter of this report. The following departments and organisations have reviewed the report: Denmark, Danish Immigration Service (DIS) ACCORD, the Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. 4 — EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN REPORT SYRIA: INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS, RETURNEES AND INTERNAL MOBILITY Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]